Pikmin!

I have to admit to liking the more quirky games in general. In particular I really like games that have a more collaborative feel and where you need to figure things out better that straight shoot 'em up type games.

As soon as it came out I picked up Pikmin for the Nintendo Game Cube and I wasn't disappointed.

You're a stranded astronaut who needs to repair his spaceship to get back home. You have to find all the necessary parts that were scattered when you crash landed and the game provides some interesting challenges w.r.t. to getting these pieces. This is fun and interesting to figure out, but it's how the game is played that give it it's charm.

Instead of slaughtering anything in sight like so many games, in Pikmin you develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the natives. You can recruit up to 100 of these cute creatures and they'll follow your every command and aid you in your quest.

But with power comes responsibility. Your little helpers can be killed by monsters, drown, get electrocuted or burn up, and in the process of dying they emit the most pitiful wailing sound that will make you feel like a heel for allowing it to happen.

So these little guys are not dispensable little robots, but little friends you feel responsible for and will try your best to keep them all alive and healthy. Every time you hear one of those dying wails you want to start over from your previous save to see if you can complete your task without losing any of them.

Pikmin 2 came out later and introduced even more collaborative play as well as a player vs. player mode and now they're being updated for the Wii. Even better Pikmin 3 is rumored to be waiting in the wings and will take full advantage of the Wii controls which should be really interesting.

I'll tack on some videos here in a little while to give you a feel, but if you've got a Wii or Game Cube it's worth trying out this game.